Cement manufacturers are consolidating and posting strong profits, but their successes are leaving regional contractors often dependent on only one or two suppliers, says the Federal Trade Commission.
The American Institute of Steel Construction continues to drill deep into the steel sector's supply chain to improve both e-commerce and steel deliveries to fabricators.
A $44-billion merger between French-based Lafarge and Swiss-based Holcim to create the world's largest cement manufacturer received a shock on March 29 as Holcim's second-largest shareholder objected to the terms of the deal.
Growing job markets, consumer confidence and construction spending will contribute to higher cement consumption in the U.S. this year, rising an annual 8% to 93 million metric tons (MMT), according to the Portland Cement Association.
Image Courtesy NIST This computer rendering shows some of the flow mechanics that were modeled in the NIST study. Related Links: Video of Computer Model of Flow Mechanics Supercomputer Simulations Yield Method for Predicting Behavior of New Concrete Formulas [NIST Tech Beat] "Scaling Laws for the Flow of Generalized Newtonian Suspensions" The Journal of Rheology, Vol. 58 No. 6 In an effort to better understand the behaviors of concrete made with unusual admixtures, the National Institute of Standards and Technology recently released the results of supercomputer modeling of the physical properties of wet concrete.The computer modeling, performed at the Argonne
Despite its associated energy costs and the availability of cheap imports from China and Pakistan, demand for cement in East Africa has continued to rise. The need to increase cement production to feed the region's booming construction industry dominated discussions at a workshop meeting of East African cement producers and German cement-equipment manufacturers in Nairobi, Kenya, on Nov. 20.Annual demand for cement in East Africa is now estimated at 6 million metric tons, with Kenya’s demand alone estimated at some 3.5 million metric tons, according to Kenya's National Construction Authority (NCA).East Africa's cement makers, including subsidiaries of German-based Heidelberg and
French-based building-materials manufacturer Saint-Gobain Group announced plans on Dec. 8 to acquire a controlling interest in Swiss-based construction-chemical maker Sika AG. One of the largest makers of building products in the world, Saint-Gobain arranged the purchase of 16.1% of Sika's shares and 52.4% of its voting rights from the family of the company's founder.Both companies have North American subsidiaries, and the merger is expected to combine their broad portfolios of building products. "The complementary synergies [of the acquisition] also apply to North America," says Susanne Trabitzsch, spokeswoman for Saint-Gobain. "We expect to have a stronger presence in the U.S. that
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